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I’d Love for You to Read This

Love is in the air—and on the page. It’s time once again to announce the winners of the summer’s hottest awards: the Romance Writers of America’s RITAs. The RITAs are named after RWA’s very first president, Rita Clay Estrada, and have been awarded every year since 1982. It’s not simply an honorary but an actual award—a golden statuette of a woman, whom I assume to be none other than Rita herself, reading a book. According to RWA’s website, it “has become the symbol for excellence in published romance fiction.”

I know I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again: as one of the few admitted romance readers on staff, I feel it’s my duty, right, and pleasure to present this list to you, dear reader. And I’m not even vying for a nomination for Librarian of the Year. Mainly because I’m not a librarian, but also because I’m ever-so-humble. Wink wink.

I’m including links to the catalog so you can easily find a copy now, because you know these holds queues are going to blow up as word starts to gets out.

Best Long Contemporary Series Romance:A Gift for All Seasons by Karen Templeton

Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements & Best First Book:The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

Best Paranormal Romance:Shadow’s Claim by Kresley Cole

Best Young Adult Romance:The Farm by Emily McKay

Best Romance Novella:Seduced by a Pirate by Eloisa James

You’ll notice I didn’t include a link for every title. That’s because the library hasn’t yet purchased all of them. If you’re interested, feel free to talk to a librarian. Let them know it’s now an award winner and that Carol sent ya.

At the same time they announced the RITA winners, RWA also announced the Golden Heart Winners. What’s a Golden Heart? The short version: it’s an award given to outstanding unpublished manuscripts. The final round of the contest is judged by romance editors. Many winners go on to enjoy a career as a published romance novelist. Recipients are awarded an actual golden heart pendant. Gotta love literal literary prizes!

Perhaps you’d like to submit your own manuscript for next year’s Golden Heart competition. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of putting pen to paper (or keys to screen) and want to begin writing, but you don’t know where to start. We’ve got some excellent writing resources sitting in the stacks waiting to help guide you through the process of writing a romantic novel–including how to write those steamy love scenes.

Another valuable resource is Romantic Times. Each issue is packed with well-written reviews for everything from contemporary to paranormal, inspirational to erotica. I used to subscribe at home but I’ve since let my subscription lapse, since I can get each issue for free from the library. It’s also a great way to get a feel for what’s popular in romance publishing right now. You may notice themes or topics not currently trending–maybe this is the direction in which you’re meant to go.

Imagine your future as a literary trendsetter. It’s a good future, yes? Now go grab a RITA winner and get to work “researching.”

About Carol

Carol likes to read for fun. Her reading material tends to be fluffy, funny, and/or frivolous. If she were stranded on an island with only one author's books she would take Dave Barry. She obsessively records what she reads and what she wants to read on GoodReads.

3 thoughts on “I’d Love for You to Read This”

Thanks for the update on Romance award winners. I’ve been reading romances for a looong time starting when many of today’s most popular authors could only be found in paperback. Now they’re hardcover best sellers! You inspired me to check out “Scorched” by Laura Griffin since I like some suspense thrown in to the plot. The summary sounds like a cross between heroine Temperance Brennan from the tv show “Bones” (and character from Kathy Reichs’ novels) and a Suzanne Brockmann Navy Seals romance. I’ll let you know what I think.

You’re very welcome, Kim! I’m happy to have inspired you to try a previously-unheard-of book. Literary mashups are all the rage these days, so I am comfortable predicting here and now that Laura Griffin will go very far in the publishing world. Please feel free to check back in after you’ve read it. I’m very curious to get your feedback!